Through the years
by Confidential Brunette
Summary: Anthony, her brother, looked at her, a frown marring his face, "Whatever Gabi, just don't keep following me and Troy," he muttered as he texted his friend, a frown still on his face. "You're going to Stanford?" her brother and Troy asked simultaneously, identical looks of astonishment on their faces. TXG through different ages.


"But I wanna come too!" five year old Gabriella Montez cried out, her lower lip trembling as she stamped her foot; the tell-tale sign of a tantrum beginning.

"No Gabi," Anthony Montez admonished her, giving her a reproachful look, as much as a an eight year old could muster, looking like an exact copy of his father, "Only big boys are allowed," he paused, looking warily at his sister, "That means only me and Troy will be going," referring to his friend since kindergarten, Troy Bolton.

"Mooooom!" Gabriella wailed, stomping her way to the kitchen, "Tell Tony that I can go to the park with him-" Before Elena Montez could reply, eight year old Troy Bolton skidded into the kitchen giving Elena a big hug and running to find his best friend. His mother, Lucille Bolton, entered the kitchen a minute later, shaking her head with amusement, "Where that boy gets his energy from, I have no idea," she looked at the scene before her, an angry Gabriella looking indignantly at her mother who was mixing the batter for chocolate chip cookies, "Let me guess, another fight?" she asked Elena, her grin widening, as the other woman nodded her head with resignation.

"Come on Troy," Anthony muttered when his sister walked out of the kitchen holding a chocolate chip cookie in her hand, half the crumbs on the linoleum floor, the other half in her mouth, "Let's get out before she starts whining again."

Too late.

"Hi Twoy!" she exclaimed, whistling slightly because of her missing two front teeth, "You wanna have my cookie?"

"Eww!" both her brother and his friend out loud in disgust, "Girls have cooties!" Troy said as Anthony nodded his head vigorously in amusement.

Gabriella's lower lip jutted out again, her eyes filling with tears, "Hey, hey, don't cry Gabi," Troy pleaded as a fat tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek.

"Good job Troy," Anthony muttered as he kicked the plush monkey that was lying on the floor, "You made her cry and now, we'd never get to go to the park."

"She started it," Troy retorted defensively, Anthony staring at the little crying girl with a mixture of pity and frustration.

"Did not," Gabriella sobbed, still listening to the two boys.

"Did too," Troy answered back, "You're the one that offered me the cookie!"

Before Gabriella could respond with another 'Did not,' Lucille entered the room, glaring at the two boys who looked guilty, "What's going on here?" she asked as she picked up a wailing Gabriella. Anthony and Troy looked away, neither of them meeting her eyes.

"Well?"

Mumbling and muttering apologies to a now slightly placated Gabriella and a hug from her mother under Elena's threatening glare, the two boys shifted nervously waiting to see if either of them would get grounded.

"Gabi," Lucille asked the hiccupping girl, "How 'bout we get chocolate ice-cream while the boys play?"

Elena sent her a grateful look, disappearing into the kitchen again.

"Come on Gabi," Troy exclaimed after his mother had set Gabriella down, "I'll race you!" he yelled, already running out the front door, towards his mother's car. She following him, shrieking and laughing loudly; Anthony flowing behind albeit grudgingly.

* * *

"Mom said that I could come with you," Gabriella said, smirking at her twelve year old brother who was busy tying his shoelaces, "And…." She drawled, pausing for a dramatic effect that she had learnt from her recent friend Sharpay, "I get to bring a friend with me."

Anthony looked at her, a frown marring his face, "Whatever Gabi, just don't keep following me and Troy," he muttered as he texted his friend, a frown still on his face.

"Yeah," Gabriella scoffed, "Like I don't have better things to do," she retorted as she slipped on her purple ballet flats, "How do I look?"

Anthony looked at her, "For an extremely annoying ten-year old sister, you're pretty okay."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "I asked you how I looked Tony."

"Who you tryin' to impress? Blondie?" he mocked referring to Sharpay, "Do you want your outfit to get her approval or something?"

"You're a jerk you know that?" she said, her eyes narrowed at him, hands on her hips, "I'll just ask Troy next time."

"Yeah, you should do that."

"Maybe I will."

"If you guys are done bickering, maybe we can actually go to the ice-rink," Troy spoke up, leaning against the front door, an amused expression on his face. Anthony nodded as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"You look pretty Brie," he said, his cheeks reddening slightly, "To answer your question."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly and she hugged him tightly and let him go quickly, "At least someone knows how to compliment a girl," she muttered darkly as she stalked past the two of them.

"Are you crushing on my sister or something?" Anthony asked Troy, looking at him weirdly.

"Of course not," Troy retorted, "She's like my sister, dude."

"Then why were your cheeks all red?" Anthony demanded, "And you were looking at her-"

"Dude! I said no!" Troy exclaimed, "That would be like….incest."

"Whatever," Anthony said, shrugging, "Let's just go to the rink."

"Hey Sharpay!" Gabriella exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly while the two boys rolled their eyes, ignoring them and walked ahead.

Sharpay raised her eye-brow at her friend, "What was that?"

Gabriella shrugged, "No idea."

* * *

"Whoa! Check out that cute freshman!"

Gabriella blushed, waving shyly at one of the senior guys of the football team, while Tony scowled behind her.

She was glad she looked good, she had almost had a panic attack about what to wear until Sharpay had entered her bedroom and saved the day. Literally, because she had been driving her parents and brother crazy, especially her Dad with all the clothes she had bought. She was wearing her favorite pair of black slim fit jeans and a purple crop top and a black leather jacket, completely buttoned-up to hide her newly pierced belly button.

"_You're mad if you think Tony wont flip out," Sharpay warned her, as she applied a coat of bright pink polish on her big toe, "Hell, if I see Ryan with a pierced tongue or something, I'll tell Mom or Dad."_

_Gabriella scoffed, "Oh, please. If Mom doesn't have a problem with it, I don't give a damn to what Tony'll say," she replied, blowing lightly across her left nails now with a fresh coat of purple in a shimmery shade, "Besides, he's not gonna know about it, we'll be in completely different classes and it's not like his friends know me or something."_

"_This isn't anything related to Troy is it?" Sharpay asked, her voice a tad bit too casual, "Because…" _

"_Absolutely not!" she exclaimed, "He's like my brother!" she sighed, when Sharpay looked at her, one eye-brow arched disbelievingly, "Okay, so maybe I have a tiny crush on him," she admitted, softly, cheeks beginning to redden._

"_So you thought that the best way to gain his attention would by piercing your belly button with a purple gemstone?" she asked, "What's with you and the colour purple anyway?"_

"_Yeah," she replied, a bit defensive, "I just happen to like the colour just like you like pink," she said, answering to the second part of the question._

"_Touché."_

"What's going on?" Tony demanded, looking at his team-mates, who immediately stopped whispering among themselves when he entered the gym, "What's going on Troy?" he repeated, irritated after a double Chemistry class, which 'totally sucked,' according to him.'

Troy scratched the back of his head nervously, "Uhh..nothing?" he answered, making it sound more like a question.

"Whatever," he muttered, clapping his hands, "Alright! Listen up everybody!" she said, loud enough for the entire basketball team to hear, "This year's the Championship Game and we're gonna kick some Knights ass!"

"_Whoa! Stop right there!" Troy Bolton yelled to Gabriella, gathering the attention of a few curious students who were milling about the hallway after school._

_She looked at him quizzically, "What?" she asked, conscious of the entire basketball team looking at her, with the exclusion of her brother._

"_That!" he exclaimed, pointing in her general direction, seeing her belly-button for the first time, almost hypnotized by it. His Gabriella, goody-two shoes, sweet Gabriella had pierced her belly-button. _

_And it was damn right sexy._

_He gulped, trying to gather himself, 'She's like your sister remember?' his brain asked him while the rest of his team mates, surrounded her, eager to know about her, because of both her brother and the belly-button ring._

* * *

"So how was your first day of school?" Mandy asked her, sliding next to her in the cafeteria. Mandy Daniels was her brother's girl friend, blonde and blue eyed, she was on the school decathlon team and on the cheerleading squad.

Before she could answer, Tony sat down next to Mandy, kissing her cheek in hello as both girls became silent, waiting for him to speak.

"Hey guys!" Troy exclaimed, "Mind if I-" he stopped short, noticing the awkwardness, backed off, "I'll jest be over…there," he said lamely, pointing in a random direction.

"I'll come with you," Gabriella spoke up, almost knocking over her lunch tray in the process, "The table's becoming quite crowded anyways."

"Uhh…" Troy stuttered, "I-"

"Don't worry Gabs," Tony said calmly, taking a bite of his sandwich, "I'm not saying anything about your piercing."

All three of them collectively breathed a sigh of relief and Troy sat down next to Gabriella, their hands and thighs almost brushing each others.

"I found it sexy," Troy said, looking at her, a smirk forming on his face as she blushed, "Really, really sexy."

"Shut-up Troy," Tony muttered, "You're gonna be kicked off the team if you continue harassing my sister."

"You can't," Troy replied, casually draping an arm across Gabriella, "I'm captain and MVP."

"Yeah. So am I," her brother shot-back, a smug grin on his face, "And-"

"Can we eat our lunch in peace?" Gabriella asked, exasperated, "Troy, you have a girlfriend remember?" she asked, ignoring the hurt inside her, "She won't like it if you flirt."

"Don't have a girlfriend."

"Let me guess, you broke up with her," Gabriella asked, a bored look on her face, "You are such a jerk sometimes!"

"But you love me anyways," he replied, shooting her his trademark smile, "You're my best friend Brie."

"Damn right you are," she replied, punching him lightly, "Don't ever forget that."

* * *

"You're going to Stanford?" her brother and Troy asked simultaneously, identical looks of astonishment on their faces.

"I know right!" she squealed, "I still can't believe I got accepted!" she said, waving her acceptance letter.

"I'm proud of you Gabs," her brother told her, hugging her tightly, "I know that even Mom and Dad are," he whispered, both saying a silent prayer to their parents who had passed away last year in a car accident.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked, "You okay?"

"Fine," he muttered, smiling lightly, "I'm going to miss you," he whispered, hugging her and letting go quickly.

He was going to miss her; the way she made him laugh, the way she joked with him, she was different from other girls, not falling on his feet and giggling at everything he said. Falling for your best friend was a no-no rule especially if your best friend was your other best friend's brother. It was going to be a long day and a long few years ahead of him.

* * *

**This is going to be a two-shot, but the next chapter will be uploaded after a month or so, because I have my finals coming up! **

**Don't forget to review! (Seriously, it helps my day which is suckish almost everyday thanks to Physics:/ )**

**Cheers,**

**CB**


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